About us
About Lantern Publications
“Meaningful books shape meaningful lives.”
Lantern Publications was founded on a simple but urgent conviction: that meaningful books shape meaningful lives. In an age of noise and distraction, we exist to publish works that endure, that illuminate, and that reconnect readers to truth, purpose, and intellectual depth.
We are a specialist publishing house dedicated to producing high-quality Islamic literature, with a particular focus on the rich intellectual, spiritual, and historical legacy of the Ahl al-Bayt (as). Our catalogue spans theology, hadith, history, ethics, and children’s literature—each title carefully curated to educate, inspire, and elevate.
Rigour & Relevance
We work closely with scholars, researchers, and emerging voices to ensure every publication is grounded in authentic sources while remaining accessible to modern readers.
Stewardship of Ideas
Publishing is not merely the production of books, but the stewardship of ideas. Every manuscript is approached with intentionality—from editorial development and design through to distribution.
Global Reach
Through our growing partnerships and distribution networks, we make impactful Islamic literature widely accessible—connecting communities across borders and generations.
Our story
How Lantern began
Lantern began, like many ideas worth pursuing, in a living room. We were searching for suitable Islamic books to read with our two-year-old daughter and, in the Shia tradition, found very little. So we decided we would have to make something ourselves.
The deeper we looked, the clearer the gap became. There were Shia publishers, but standards were uneven, distribution into Australia was patchy, and many were reluctant to take on the more challenging or substantive material that serious readers were asking for. The works that mattered most often weren’t the ones reaching the people who needed them.
In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, we published our first title—An Altar of Roses—to address the shortage of literature for young adults grounded in the Islamic and Shia tradition. It found its readers quickly. We followed it with a timely volume on Islamic beliefs and practices, written to answer objections raised by Salafi critics, and that too struck a chord.
With the encouragement of friends and colleagues—particularly Blake Archer Williams, whose belief in the project was steady and generous—we decided to formalise what had become more than a side endeavour. Lantern Publications was registered shortly after, and the work has expanded outward ever since: from a young adult novel and a doctrinal manual to a growing catalogue spanning theology, history, ethics, hadith, and children’s literature.
The living-room conversation hasn’t really ended. It’s just gotten a great deal larger.
Team
The people behind Lantern
Dr Abidali Mohamedali
Founder & Chief Editor
Sets editorial direction and oversees acquisitions, ensuring every title meets our standards of scholarly rigour and literary craft.
Somaya Zomorodi
Publishing Consultant & Author
Brings publishing expertise across acquisition, production, and audience development—and contributes as an author in her own right.
Blake Archer Williams
Editor, Author & Translator
A trusted scholarly voice whose editorial work, translations, and original writing have been central to Lantern’s growth.
Mahdi Tabatabai Yazdi
Illustrator
Shapes the visual identity of our illustrated works—from picture books to cover art across the catalogue.
Editorial Team
Editors
A working team of editors who guide each manuscript from acquisition through publication.
Advisory Board
Scholarly counsel
Our advisory board provides scholarly oversight on matters of doctrine, sourcing, and editorial direction. Their counsel is one of the reasons we are able to take on the more challenging works in our list.
- Sheikh Mansour Leghaei
- Sheikh Zaid Al Salami
- Sheikh Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour
- Sheikh Saleem Bhimji
Meeting readers where they are
At the heart of Lantern is a commitment to both rigour and relevance. Whether it is a child encountering the beauty of faith for the first time, or an adult seeking deeper understanding, our books are designed to meet readers where they are and take them further.
For our youngest readers, we publish under Lantern Kids—a dedicated imprint for picture books, middle-grade fiction, and illustrated works that nurture imagination alongside faith.
Ultimately, our mission is to revive a culture of reading that is purposeful, reflective, and transformative—one book at a time.
Sadaqa Jāriya · Ongoing Charity
Be part of a forthcoming work
Each book we publish is beneficial knowledge—ʿilm yuntafaʿu bihi—that keeps giving long after it leaves our hands. Become a part of its making.
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